Giles Chases GT's (well actually his dream)….
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Those of you who know me, will know that my sport of preference is fishing (OK @Chris , it's not longer, higher, faster, so you won't consider it a sport, but I do
). Fifteen years ago I read an article about a new way of fishing for fish called Giant Trevally (GT). These fish had been hitherto hard to catch because they hunt on reef drop offs, so if you hook one of them from the shore, they will likely break your line on the reef edge as they dive, couple with the fact that fishing tackle at the time really was just not strong enough. These things trash tackle, for my main outfit, I have it duplicated because there is a very real chance the reel or the rod of one of the outfits will get shredded.About 20 years the Japanese got involved and a perfect storm of technical advancements in rod, reel and line technology allowed them to develop tackle that could handle these fish. The rods are immensely strong, but light (when you are casting a 6oz plug all day long, light is good), the reels can dial in 30lbs of drag and the line is ridiculously thin for it's breaking strain (I am using 90lb spectra braid but it has the same diameter as 15lb monofilament) - thin means you can cast further.
You fish for them from a small boat, casting (usually) surface lures towards the reef, when the fish takes, it dives into the deep water but as you are ocean side, the risk of getting bust off is minimised.
At some point in the article the following was said "I cast my popper towards the reef and started to retrieve, there was then an explosion at the end of the line that I can only describe as like a fridge being dropped into the water from a helicopter, yes it was my first GT". I vowed that one day I would catch a GT.
In the course of my travels to Japan, I have made many friends, one of them is a guy called Shin Achiwa and he started an operation in the Maldives a couple of years ago called GT Maldives. Today I fly with Ben my fishing buddy to see what it is like. So 15 years of dreaming and the accumulation of the appropriate tackle are about to be answered. We are staying on a non-resort (local) island and it's "dry" - I will be looking for the illegal still…..
I think I'll catch some GT, I know I'll catch other species. But whatever, I'm as excited as hell....
In a week, Paula flies out and we meet in Male and have a few days together on a resort island.
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Wonderful story, and one that I hope gets a happy ending. I went to the Maldives on my honeymoon a few years ago. Amazing place. The marine life was spectacular. While I hope (and believe) you'll get your GT, I know you'll have a great time. Try and get some diving in too
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Also, @Madame Buttonfly this must be one of the most relaxing places on earth. My experience of a mid-market island resort was that the quality of food and drink was excellent, and the service was almost embarrassingly good. Enjoy yourself
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We have been to the island (Kuredu) we are going to 3 times before. It was our first holiday together 18 years ago and we have been back the last 2 years. This may sound sad, but it has excellent wifi in the hut we stay in, so I can work from there perfectly easily. Some days I have to work until lunch time, but doing that with the back drop of the Indian Ocean slightly edges it over a frosty Portsmouth harbour…..
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Hopefully you can pop your GT cherry! Can't wait to see how this develops… Did you book yourself an appointment with a chiropractor when you get home?
